Our Adventure to Grandfather Mountain
Experience the wonder and adventure of Grandfather Mountain with breath-taking vistas, alpine hiking trails, and rugged mountain scenery.
If you haven’t been to Grandfather Mountain, then you need to go. Go! Go now! Not only is it a unique natural landmark of North Carolina, but its mile high bridge, mountain scenery, and thrilling hiking make it a must-visit for all Southerners. In fact, it could be a great experience for anyone, but only if you enjoy these types of activities. Some of them can last for the whole day, so looking for the best tactical bag to store any essential equipment in there to last the duration could be particularly important if you want to make the most out of the trip, as well as making sure that you have what you need in case something should happen. But remember, it’s all about having as much fun in the great outdoors as possible. Like I’ve said, there is enough to see and do that you can easily enjoy an entire day there, maybe even more.
Just what is Grandfather Mountain?
Grandfather Mountain is a globally recognized nature preserve on the highest peak of the Blue Ridge Mountains at an elevation of 5,946 feet. Its rocks reveal a long history of rock formation and mountain-building that dates back to 1.1 billion years ago. Today, the craggy rock face is the end product of two things: the mountain-building that culminated 300 million years ago and the erosion that has been ongoing for over 100 million years and continues today.
The original Cherokee name for the mountain was “Tanawha,” meaning “a fabulous hawk or eagle.” It was named “Grandfather” by pioneers who recognized the face of an old man in one of the cliffs. Many vantage points reveal different faces, so there is no one official profile of the mountain, but the most popular can be seen from the community of Foscoe, seven miles north of Linville and 10 miles south of Boone on N.C. 105.
Our visit to Grandfather Mountain
S. and I enjoyed exploring the mountain and nature preserve early in the summer. We traversed the 228 foot mile high suspension bridge, explored the craggy rock cliffs, and hiked several trails, marveling over the stunning vistas and alpine terrain. When we arrived mid-morning, a fierce storm blew in right as we were parking the car, and we actually feared we wouldn’t get to really enjoy the mountain, but after about 15 minutes the storm headed on out and we set out for the cliffs. It’s amazing how changeable the weather is at that elevation, and you can see from our snapshots the drastic change from thick fog to bright sun that we experienced.
Here are a few snapshots from our adventure:
Almost across the mile high bridge! We are headed out to that cliff in the distance.
Looking back to the parking lot where we started.
The view from the very edge!
Alpine terrain is simply stunning if you ask me…
Let the hiking commence…
S. king of the hills…
And another storm rolls in…
After a long day of hiking we kicked back on the patio at the Grandfather Vineyard and Winery.
After a wonderful day of hiking and exploring Grandfather Mountain we headed down to the base to the Grandfather Vineyard and Winery to sit back and relax with a glass of wine (ok actually a bottle)! This was the perfect end to our adventure!
Wow! That looks amazing; not sure I could actually look out from the mile high bridge myself but the views are stunning. (clicking over from the Best of the Weekend party!)
Joanne, it is a truly amazing vista! I highly recommend if you are in the area. Cheers!